Foundation First Newsletter - September, 2026
Thanks to Rotary leaders, members, donors, and supporters worldwide, The Rotary Foundation continues to advance Rotary’s mission and create lasting change in communities both locally and globally. We are pleased to share that together, we raised more than US$477 million (unaudited) in gifts and commitments during 2025-26.
These gifts empower Rotary members to carry out sustainable projects that improve people’s health, expand access to education, protect the environment, alleviate poverty, and promote peace around the globe.
Thanks to the collective efforts of Rotary members, leaders, and supporters, our Foundation was able to:
- Award 1,804 global grants, 463 district grants, and 61 disaster response grants in 2025-26
- Work with our partners to vaccinate more than 350 million children in 28 countries during 2025
- Open our newest Rotary Peace Center at Symbiosis International University in India
These achievements are possible because of people like you who champion Rotary’s mission through leadership, service, advocacy, and generosity.
World Polio Day
World Polio day is just around the corner on October 24th. Our hope is that you are working on a Polio walk but any event or campaign to raise awareness is important and appreciated. Please share those events with us and we will help publicize them for you.
Current statistics are:
2026 Wild Polio Case Total - 29 Pakistan 4, Afghanistan 25
Our promise to the children of the world is to eradicate Polio and we have a tough battle to accomplish this in the last two endemic countries. Together we can accomplish big things.
Goals
We have set a goal to increase our giving this year by 5%. This isn't a huge ask, but we need to support each other to get there. We will again start sending goals versus progress to club President's and Foundation chairs. If you need help reaching those, please reach out. We will provide mentors and ideas to make you successful!
Sister Clubs
We introduced the sister club to you recently. We have our first request from a club to join us here in D5970 after the Zone Conference last week. If you're interested in the program, please reach out and we will get you moving towards that relationship.
Thank you for all you do for Rotary, your communities and the World!
Michelle Bell, District Foundation Chair 